“Sorry we’re late, Coach,” Samson Hill said, breaking into a wide smile. “We
got a little lost. The roads are tortuous up in these
hills.”

The Corinth guys broke ranks and laughed a bit, and Coach Davidson eyed them
all with clear disdain. The enmity in the air
between the two teams was palpable. Drew glanced at Jason, Clay,
and Dirk. They were all waiting for the tirade. These Corinth
guys clearly had no idea who they were dealing with. But they would find out in the
next five seconds. Coach Davidson was known for his punitive
creativity. Once, when he’d found out that the offensive line was chugging Red Bull
before games, he’d had them all drink a case apiece the following Monday before
school. The guys had panic attacks all day. Everyone thought Coach would be fired,
but he defended himself to the school board and somehow came out with nothing but a
reprimand.

“Do you think this is funny, Hill?” Coach demanded
vehemently. His nostrils flared, and his already sunburned
face practically glowed.

The grin fell right off of Samson’s face. Drew tried not to laugh, but not too
hard. This kid was toast. He’d made his first impression, and it
was irrevocable.

“I can’t believe they’re wearing their old uniforms,” Jason whispered to
Drew. “Don’t they know their team is defunct?”

“Yeah. If they want to wear the blue and gray, let ’em go back to their
derelict school,” Clay added. “Soon as they step on this
field, it’s desecrated.”

Drew’s heart clenched. Clay was right. This was sacred ground. And he was sure
that these guys didn’t have even a modicum of respect for that.
How could they? Some of them had spent the last three years of their lives psyching
themselves to come in here and tear Washingtonville apart. They had been trained to
loathe Washingtonville just as much as the Washingtonville
guys loathed them.

“All right. I’m gonna give you a pass for today since it’s your first time
here, but tomorrow I expect all of you to be here half an hour early and ready to
go,” Coach Davidson said. A bunch of the guys behind Drew grumbled. He knew they
were thinking the same thing he was. How could their venerable
coach let himself by placated by such an obvious lie? He was way
smarter than this. “Your teammates here had to wait for you, and you’re gonna make
that time up to them, got it?”

“Good! Now take the field! Defense to the left, offense to the right!” Coach
demanded. “And I want the Corinth players mixed in with the Washingtonville players.
This is one team, now, people! Get used to it!”

Drew swallowed the lump in his throat as the players walked by him to take
their spots in line. His pity faded the second he saw Samson Hill striding down the
line, chin up, checking out the Washingtonville guys. All Drew wanted to do was trip
the kid as he walked by. Or better yet, shove him. Show him exactly how welcome he
and his crew were. But he knew that instigating a fight would not
go over well with Coach.